Dua Lipa Talks Radical Optimism, Manifestation, and More in New Interview
In a recent interview, English-Albanian pop star Dua Lipa spoke candidly about everything from her belief in manifestation to her new album, Radical Optimism.
TIME honored Lipa as one of the most influential people in the world as she graced the cover of their Time 100 issue. To further celebrate the artist, the magazine also sat down for an interview with the “Houdini” singer.
Thank you @TIME and thank you my dear friend and hero Patti Smith for your wonderful words #Time100https://t.co/A1jIoHMNZL
— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) April 15, 2024
Photograph by Zhong Lin for TIME
Set Design by Michael Avina
Styling by Lorenzo Posocco
Hair by Peter Lux
Make-up by Sam Visser
Production by T… pic.twitter.com/KkqNMtASmT
In the interview, the singer addressed various topics, ranging from her Albanian heritage to the creation of her new music.
Dua Lipa the woman that you are pic.twitter.com/ZUqzPZBc6X
— @giuliarosycann/DuaLipaStan (@giuradicalipa) April 15, 2024
The artist started off by addressing her statement, “I’d like to take over the world… If I could,” which she told TIME back in 2017. “It’s a big statement,” she admitted. “But for as long as I can tour the world and for as long as I can keep people dancing and seeing that room grow and see more and more people dancing, then I’m doing something right,” the “Dance The Night” singer continued.
She then commented on her belief in manifestation. “Manifesting is a big thing for me,” she confessed. “I stand very firmly in the belief of putting things into the world. Subconsciously, you just work towards them. Nothing’s ever too big,” the artist shared.
The artist revealed she has been manifesting her career for a while, stating, “Since I was very little, I’ve jotted down things I dreamt for myself.” She expressed, “I’ve always planned ahead. Although surprises arise that I evaluate in the moment, there’s always a long-term goal.” The singer believes “it’s important to just write things down,” noting, “You never know what could come true.”
Similarly, the artist also discussed her long-time plans to create her third album. Lipa first announced Radical Optimism in March, but now shared that the plans for the album existed long before then.
The songwriter recalled planning the record from the beginning of her music career. “I remember when I was working on my first album, I was making notes on what my third album was going to be,” she explained.
“It’s mad to think about, but I remember speaking to my close friend and A&R Joe [Kentish], ‘Maybe album three, I could work with [Tame Impala’s] Kevin Parker,’ and he was like, ‘Alright, hold your horses, let’s take baby steps,’” she recollected. The vocalist’s dream eventually came true, with Parker now co-producing the LP.
Additionally, the “Training Season” singer spoke about her Albanian heritage. The London-born artist gained Albanian citizenship in 2022. Lipa commented on “being from two places at the same time”, remarking, “Being from Kosovo is just such a big part of who I am, and getting my Albanian citizenship was really exciting.”
She hopes to change people’s perception of Kosovo. “When people think about Kosovo, I don’t want them to be like, ‘Oh, war-torn Kosovo.’ There’s so much more to it,” she expressed.
“We do a festival in Pristina, me and my dad, that’s about getting people from all over the world to come down and see how different it is to what they expect,” the artist shared. “I know when I was living in Kosovo, none of my favorite artists were coming there. It is my biggest dream to be able to bring that to the kids there,” she explained.
About her future plans, Lipa teased, “I’m a big planner, so we’ll see what happens in the next 5 to ten years. I’ve already started writing it down.”
Dua Lipa’s album, Radical Optimism, comes out on May 3. Until then, you can stream her single “Illusion” and check out the music video below.
